A planned redevelopment project at a busy Columbia Pike intersection has reportedly been canceled.

Developer Christopher Companies has abandoned years-long plans to turn the Elkins Building at 2801 Columbia Pike into a multifamily building with 88 units, Angela Kostelecky, senior architect at Devereaux and Associates , told ARLnow.

“They told us to stop on the project,” Kostelecky said. “We were trying to get the job ready to issue building permits — or to get it to the point where we can submit for building permits — and we were told to stop work.”

She said this happened last Friday. The latest news has added another layer of frustration for community advocates and at least one business owner who relocated his small business because of redevelopment plans.

“This is yet another planned development to fall through and harm our business community,” Alex Sakes, president of the Penrose Neighborhood Association, told ARLnow. “After back-to-back development failures, my residents have little reason to get excited about future projects here on the east end of the Pike, and I certainly can’t blame them.”

Christopher Companies did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The Arlington County Board approved a Form-Based Code use permit for the site in November. Plans called for a seven-story building with 88 condo units, underground parking and 6,593 square feet of ground floor retail.

It took project leaders about three years to receive this county approval, but rising costs on imported construction materials like cement and steel began to affect the project’s outlook, Kostelecky said.

“It’s my understanding that the prices were coming in too high,” she said. “I think it seems to be happening with a lot of projects these days, so I’m not surprised.”

Last May, several business owners in the strip mall told ARLnow they were on month-to-month leases ahead of redevelopment.

The plans led at least one small business, Acme Pie Co., to relocate last month. Owner Sol Schott told ARLnow that he spent at least $40,000 moving to 2406 Columbia Pike .

He had already committed to a new five-year lease when he heard about two months ago that the project “was not a done deal.”

“I would like to have stayed there, you know, I was there for a long time. I liked the spot. I liked my neighbors,” Schott said. “I didn’t think it was an option, so that’s why I found another place.”

Christopher Companies last participated in a preconstruction meeting with county staff in January, county spokesperson Rachel LaPiana told ARLnow.

“I would recommend connecting further with the developer on any plans for construction,” she said. “The County does not control whether a developer moves forward with entitlement.”

Next door to the Elkins Building, meanwhile, plans to redevelop an abandoned strip mall on the 2600 block of Columbia Pike have recently been revived after falling through last year.

Developer Toll Brothers filed plans last week to rebuild the property with 262 housing units and 16,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. That news has brought new hope to Columbia Pike advocates long weary of delays and heartbreak at the Fillmore Gardens Shopping Center.

Andrew Schneider, executive director of the Columbia Pike Partnership, said that he is “disappointed” in the latest hurdle, but added that “that is not unusual for the Pike.”

“With the progress of the Fillmore project with Toll Brothers, I anticipate renewed interest in the Elkins Building in very short order,” he said. “As we know, on the Pike, sometimes things can be bumpy, but ultimately I have complete confidence that … the owners will find a developer that is right for the project at this moment.”